Poster #32 - Do Wages and Work Hours Relate to the Longevity of Child Care Workforce

• In Event: Poster Session 06

Abstract

Frequent turnover among child care workforce is a big issue in the US and can negatively impact the education environment and children being served. Children receiving care from providers with high staff turnover and low consistent care have been shown to have lower levels of language, social, and cognitive development (Cassidy et al., 2011). Thus, it is important to determine factors that may reduce turnover and increase longevity among child care staff as a means for increasing consistent care for children.

Research suggests various factors, including ongoing policies and new initiatives, can result in more working hours and lower pay among child care staff (Sakai et al., 2014; Whitebook et al., 2014). In turn, increased workloads, limited resources, and few rewards can impact teachers’ turnover and retention decisions (Curbow et al., 2000).

The focus of the current study is to explore the association among time spent as a child care provider (longevity), wages, and hours worked. We will also explore how these associations vary by type of care provided and different work conditions (e.g., home care, center care; large program, small program).

The study will be a secondary data analysis of the Missouri workforce training database. This database includes all child care professionals who are required to complete trainings based on state policy. Workforce members are also able to voluntarily join a workforce registry and provide various information about their employment, including hourly wages, working hours per week, working months per year, and start/end dates at child care provider, and about the type of child care they provide, among other relevant factors.

Approximately 9,000 members of the Missouri workforce registry have sufficient data for these factors to be included in the present analyses. Variables in the Missouri training data have been identified or created to address the current research goals. Preliminary analyses indicate hours worked are related to longevity, and lower wages are associated with a high rate of turnover.

Additional analyses designed to explore these factors further, including differences by type of care provided and controlling for different work situations, will be conducted. Study results will provide information about predictors of turnover among child care providers, which may be used by providers to help increase consistence of care of children. Further, we believe the outcome of this study will provide information that is valuable for policies or programs designed to improve child care workforce retention.

Authors

• Prabhath W K Pallewaththa Palle Waththage, University of Missouri - Columbia
  Presenting Author

• Aida Ismailova

• Shannon E Dier, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Christine Cord, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Francisco Palermo, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Louis Manfra, University of Missouri - Columbia

• Rachel Thibodeau-Nielsen, University of Missouri - Columbia